The Only Solution
by Ravenietta
Summary: Science saves lives. Wally knows this. It's what he loves most about it. What should have happened in 'Failsafe.' SPITFIRE.
1. Clear

_ Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice._

~KF + A~

Across the arctic plain, snow blew in frosty gusts, chilling each team member down to the bone. The cold shook even Superboy, it was so intense.

It seemed only fitting that that was where it happened.

The hazy silence that always descended on the plain before noon was expected and welcomed. No animals noisily trotted across the landscape, no birds soared above. And not one sprig of green rose above the hard shell of ice beneath their feet. It was too much for life to handle earth so barren and destitute.

Kid Flash could clearly hear Artemis's boots crunching beside him. Her white parka shielded her face, but he knew what her expression conveyed; it was much the same as everyone elses'. It was tight-lipped anxiety and overflowing panic. It was _fear._ He could feel his own eyebrows knitting together. _Uncle Barry…you're okay, right?_

_That_, that worried quiet, was the calm before the storm.

The sudden attack left him breathless. They had all been on edge, hurriedly wiring up the bioship, when the invaders struck. Two well-placed arrows brought two down, and Kid Flash had almost been about to cheer when he noticed the others still on their tail. Then the painful startling truth: just because a ship was down, didn't mean it wouldn't bring down someone with it. He could see the swiveling laser, hear its whine as it fired up a shot. At _Artemis._

_Unacceptable._

When Wally had been young, when his Uncle Barry had been _just_ a police scientist, he had been fascinated by his uncle's work. He would sit for hours on end, just watching his uncle work his _own_ magic with chemicals and beakers and test tubes. He had eagerly read the large volumes above his uncle's desk, digesting at times whole chapters of complex scientific information. At any given point during any time of the year, he would have experiments running on every question he could find. Wally was a scientific genius, no doubt.

So he knew the scientific method, and the logic it used. Take a question; create a hypothesis; test it of its possible repercussions; analyze the results; and find the most reasonable solution. He narrowed the process down to zero-point-three seconds of creative thinking, and only one way to save Artemis came to mind.

_The only way._

His legs moved ahead of his brain, a fluid blur of concentrated energy. His arms strained to push her far enough out of the beam, feeling rather than hearing her muffled sound of surprise.

Artemis flew through the air, gently landing in a snow bank nearby. He saw her struggling to pull herself up out of the freezing snow, shaking her head to free her long blonde ponytail. Her eyes resembled that of a deer's, shocked and wide. They focused on his face.

It was enough.

As his world fizzed out, Wally smiled.

_Conclusion: hypothesis successful._

_The only way._

~KF + A~

_Review? Please? _


	2. Blinded

_Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice._

_Thanks to all the support I got, I decided to expand on this. This is your tasty treat, reviewers! A little dedication to Sexy Ascot, for our obsessive Spitfire discussions. It won't be done after this, though. I have a few more things in mind._

~KF + A~

The oddest thing about silence was that it had a sound of its own. The ringing in her ears proved it.

Artemis dipped her head to let the parka's hood slip further down her head. She didn't want anyone to see her face, not Miss Martian or Robin or Superboy, and especially not Kid Flash. She didn't even know why she was bothering, but she had her suspicions, and they scared her. Was she afraid of his scornful teasing or something even worse: his concern?

Whatever the case, she was glad he couldn't see her blushing. Artemis' eyes shut tight and her eyebrows cinched together as she looked away.

They trudged through the snow as quickly as they could. Artemis shivered as a handful of the stuff was dumped into her boot as she struggled through a particularly heavy snow bank.

She could still feel it melting, soaking her socks, when they were attaching the new weapon to Miss Martian's ship. It looked _wrong, _protruding from the bioship like that. Artemis scanned the horizon.

She had been on a strict lookout when the invaders attacked, her eyes narrowed like a hawk on the hunt. Artemis was despairingly amazed when she blinked and found that the ships were gliding towards them soundlessly. _How-?_

But there was no time for guessing. She was on the move, her body several steps ahead of her mind. Within ten seconds, she was running away, the two arrows once in her quiver now on a one-way journey to destroy the key weak points of the ships. The arrows whistled as they started to disappear into the distance, but Artemis wasn't even looking. The darkening indigo sky above seemed to be trying to swallow her, and her thoughts were senseless self-preservation.

She was running, running, running. Artemis stretched her legs as far as she could to reach the ship before the invaders reached _her. _Breathing hard, she heard a high keening noise behind her, and panic closed her throat. She didn't dare look back, least she trip.

But it wasn't enough. She could _feel _it.

Then a yellow and red blur crashed into her side, throwing her out of the range of the noise. Yelping, she landed hard in a soft pile of snow. In Artemis' hysteria, she clawed her way to the surface laboriously. Gasping for much-needed breath, she stared at her savior.

Kid Flash.

_Wally._

Nononono_nononono…_

_ Not you…_anyone _but you…_

His bones shook, his body was racked with electricity. And Wally still smiled sadly at Artemis.

Artemis felt her heart collapse.

The tears froze on her cheeks.

~KF + A~


End file.
